Mary MacMakin moved to Afghanistan with her family in the 1961. She fell in love with the country and decided to make it her permanent home, running projects for local humanitarian organizations such as Save the Children and CARE, and teaching Afghan women the skills needed to practice physical therapy.

In 1996, Mary established a non-governmental organization, PARSA (Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Support for Afghanistan), to provide comprehensive services to disabled Afghans and to the widows and orphans of Afghanistan. Through PARSA, Mary trained women to make products for sale in their own homes. In addition, PARSA funded the drilling of wells in villages. In July 2000, Mary was arrested, accused of spying and trying to convert Muslims to Christians, charges which she vehemently denies. After four days in prison, Mary fled to Pakistan, where she continued her work in exile. She has since returned to Afghanistan many times, and remains committed to helping the women and children of Afghanistan have a better life.

Mary, now 81 years old, has established a new organization, Afghanistan Zendabad (Afzenda), whose mission is to help widows and poor families run their own businesses. In a country as poor as Afghanistan, starting small home businesses to help people augment what little income they have is a priority. Afzenda trains family businesses in marketable skills, provides funds to get started, teaches quality control and locates markets locally and abroad.

Marys efforts have been featured on both 60 Minutes and Oprah. In addition, she has won numerous awards for her work in Afghanistan, including the International Rehabilitation Leadership Award in 2002. The award honors those who have worked internationally to advance the field of rehabilitation, champion the principle of inclusion and help others achieve their full potential. A portion of the award funds were used to provide, in partnership with PARSA, rehabilitation training and services to Afghan war widows and Afghanis with disabilities.